[Backsim] LtCmdr Skyfire & Cmdr Blair: Comedic Relief
Chythar Skyfire
((Time Index: Day 110))
::Chythar sensed the massive wave of exhaustion that walked into the room and sat up from his bunk, his senses finely honed to tune out the white noise that was the overwhelming sense of emotions. It didn’t take much for him to identify the source. Rather than risk waking up the other sleeping officers, he decided to just ask quietly from where he lay.::
Skyfire: ~Everything alright, Commander? Did you need a word?~
::Having given up on trying to sleep days earlier, Alex had been sitting at the desk in his office trying to come up with a plan on how to stretch the Gorkon’s limited resources even further than they had already been stretched. After several hours of fruitless work, Alex needed two things, a change of scenery and some outside input. Knowing that most of the senior staff were using the briefing room as sleeping quarters, Alex decided to see if anyone was there that could provide some help. As he entered the room, the first thing Alex noticed was the officers scattered on cots throughout the room, the second was a voice inside his head that was not his own.::
Blair: ::speaking as quietly as he could:: Yeah, if you don’t mind I could use some input.
::Despite having explained his unique gifts in brief while they were aboard the Hellase, it was apparent that Alex seemed to have forgotten this unique little quirk. Chythar reached over to the ground where he lay his uniform shirt and got up to follow Alex out of the room and onto the somewhat empty bridge with only the night shift of officers. He was wearing his boots, his pants, and a tank top.::
Skyfire: Not at all, sir. If you’ll pardon the lack of uniform.
::Normally a smiled would have come naturally to Alex, but with all the stress and strain that their time in the alternate universe had brought about Alex had to force a smile this time.::
Blair: With the Gorkon’s current level of supplies, we might all be out of uniform in one way or another soon, so I don’t mind at all.
((Bridge, USS Gorkon))
::He followed the XO to the center chair and waited until Blair took a seat before taking one himself. Seated to the man’s left, he ventured a simple question.::
Skyfire: What’s on your mind, sir?
::Alex took a moment to gather his thoughts. He usually tried to keep what he considered struggles and shortcomings to himself, so this was somewhat uncharted territory for Alex.::
Blair: I’ve been trying to find creative ways to stretch what we have even farther and keep hitting the proverbial brick wall. ::pause:: I could use a fresh pair of eyes.
::The proverbial brick wall Alex had mentioned was when they encountered the Triumphant and determined the fissure sealed behind them. Chythar blinked a few times and attempted to gather his thoughts in response. The uncertainty seemed to be gnawing at not just him, but all the officers onboard.::
Skyfire: I may be a bit bedraggled, but I will do everything I can to help.
::Alex was genuinely relieved to hear Skyfire offer his help. While a part of him knew that any member of the crew would be willing to help with anything, another part of him, a darker part, told Alex that he was on his own, that everyone else had their own problems to worry about.::
Blair: Thank you for that. There’s just so much we don’t have enough of or simply don’t have at all, and our little scavenger hunts aren’t helping much. At the rate things keep breaking, I wouldn’t be surprised if the replicators quit working soon, and our food stores are dangerously low. That’s just the start. ::Alex took a deep breath:: While that all concerns me, my biggest concern is the crew.
Skyfire: What sort of concerns about the crew, besides my ability to guess you wanted a word have you concerned? ::He paused thoughtfully, then added:: I am both telepathic and empathic, you may recall.
::He felt it was necessary to mention his gifts again, because time had a funny way of making people forget. Some things he’d mentioned to Alex when they first met, but that was...last year? No, it was this year, just several months ago. He’d lost track somehow, but it wasn’t of any consequence at the moment.::
Blair: ::smiling a little more naturally this time:: Sorry about that, I haven’t encountered too many people with your abilities in my life and it’s too easy to forget. ::pause:: What worries me about the crew is how they are handling the stress. I know the counselors are doing their job, but this whole situation is more than a little unusual. It may be more than the counselors are able to handle.
::Alex hesitated before continuing. What he was about to say was something that under normal circumstances he most likely would have never admitted to anyone. For some reason, Alex felt he could trust and confide in Skyfire.::
::CD still had a lot to learn about his abilities, though he could tell the man was a bit hesitant to continue. He nodded sagely and allowed the commander to continue::
Blair: I know I’m not handling this whole mess well at all. I try to keep it all to myself, but I go from second guessing my Starfleet career to extreme insecurities about being capable of doing my job on a daily basis. ::pause:: I’m just worried about what’s going through the minds of the crew and how much longer they will be able to keep doing what they do.
::There it was, the crux of the problem. Chythar was thoughtful for a moment or three before speaking again. He was no counselor, but if one thing had come from all his discussions with Ris and Sal, it was the ability to listen.::
Skyfire: We all know the risks, Alex. Each of us who joined and passed through the academy wanted to challenge ourselves. Those like Ayiana and A--::he paused and corrected himself, remember Alleran was still in stasis back home::...Safine have had many lifetimes to do this sort of thing, and they still wanted the challenge. You ascended to the rank of commander because you wanted the adventure and want to sit in the big chair. ::There was a thoughtful pause as he deliberated a bit more.:: I’ve read the reports of the Invicta through time and time again, and I have faith that if they can find a way back, so can we. I don’t know what exactly will do the trick, but we *will* find a way back. We all will continue as we have been because they haven’t given up that hope either. ::He fixed Alex with his most authoritative stare, the sort he gives to a patient when he’s doing his damnedest to save them.:: Don’t you give up either, mate. ::His gaze softened and he leaned back.::
::Seeing Chythar’s eyes fixed on him, everything started to sink in for Alex. The man had a point and Alex wasn’t afraid to realize it. Each person serving aboard the Gorkon had joined Starfleet for a reason and this little stint in an alternate was just one of a hundred challenges Starfleet officers were bound to face during their careers. Albeit their situation rated pretty high on the list of challenging circumstances.::
Blair: ::nodding:: I haven’t given up, but there is always doubt lingering. A fear of not finding the answer, a fear that we are going to be stuck here forever.
Skyfire: Have ye heard any of the crew voice this concern recently?
::He didn’t realize his Irish accent had once again slipped into his speech until after he’d asked the question.::
::Alex shook his head.::
Blair: To be honest, no. For the last couple of months most of my interactions with the crew have been strictly work related. ::Alex paused.:: Besides as the First Officer that’s not an admission that too many crew members would make to me, and it’s not like I can really tell what they are thinking.
::CD nodded slightly. He remembered their first conversation, what seemed like a lifetime ago.::
((Flashback -- Main Casino Floor, The Hellasse))
((Time Index: 239304.28 -- LtCmdr Skyfire: It Never Hurts))
::CD recognized the new voice at once: that of their first officer, Commander Alex Blair. He'd seen the commander once or twice over the course of their little adventure in this horrid reality.::
Skyfire: Hello, Commander. Enjoying yourself?
Blair: Actually I am; a little R&R is good for everyone. How about you?
::This little excursion to the Hellasse was CD's first trip off the ship since the Triumphant. He was looking for a bit of fun, a drink, and the camaraderie of his crew mates that had to make up for the lack of a cute little Beagle. He missed Devlin, and will all the stress he'd been under, the face-lickings would help a lot. Sadly, the puppy wasn't here.::
Skyfire: I miss Devlin. This year... ::He paused for a moment to calculate.:: Year, yes. Has been rough.
::Alex motioned subtly indicating he wished for a more private conversation. Chythar took the hint and followed him a few feet away from the others.::
Blair: I’ve been meaning to catch up with you Commander. I’ve felt as if I swooped in and took your job and I’m sorry for that. I hope there are no hard feelings between us.
Skyfire: ::to Blair:: Truth be told, I was relieved when she reassigned me. I didn't seem to have the same level of enthusiasm for it. I spent most of my career in medical until I was asked to put on the red shirt.
Blair: ::smiling:: I can understand that. ::pause:: I just wanted to clear the air, as I can foresee needing your help as we continue our journey in this universe.
Skyfire: You can rest assured, Commander. No hard feelings between us. I found the chair slightly uncomfortable. ::He paused for a moment to study Blair's face.:: Please continue.
Blair: Well you have been aboard the Gorkon a lot longer than me, and know the crew much better. I have a feeling that I’m going to need to tap into that knowledge from time to time.
::Did he really know the crew better? Some of them he didn't know very well at all, and after all this time he still wasn't close to many of them. He'd gone through a couple counselors, still had to make an appointment with the new counselor, and was taking the occasional shifts in Sickbay to keep atop his clinical skills.::
Skyfire: Some of them I know better than others, but I will do my best not to let you down.
Blair: Well thank you for that.
::As the game continued, CD closed his eyes momentarily and took a slow breath. His actions didn't go unnoticed, since at least one there was curious how he was doing.::
Blair: Everything okay?
Skyfire: Selemdaren helped, and I got better.
::Alex truly had no idea what the man was talking about, but pressed on anyways.::
Blair: Don’t know who or what Selemdaren is, but I’m glad it helped.
Skyfire: He's someone we rescued off the Triumphant. I'll explain later over coffee.
::Alex turned his attention back to the game again just in time to see the wheel spin. Alex knew very very little about the game of dabo but he did notice the wheel stop with three red triangles on twenty eight.::
((End Fashback))
::This was one of those times where Alex needed that perspective. That outside advice. Advice from someone who wasn’t the FO.::
Skyfire: Okay, I said I’d explain. We don’t have coffee, so I’d better just fill in the blanks. I had a freak accident aboard the Excalibur during my tenure as MO there. It left me altered, such that I was able to telepathically read human emotions and thoughts without contact. A couple subsequent freak accidents aboard DSX & Astrofori One elevated my ratings to T4/E6. In short, I can read emotions of anyone, and any two-lobed species telepathically without contact. The refugee we rescued named Selamderen is a Vulcan who helped me develop control. I got several years’ worth of training crammed into a few meditation sessions. ::He paused and added as almost an afterthought:: And I lost a patient that day in engineering.
::CD waited for Alex to process what had been said. It was a rather large pile of information to sort through. The circumstances of both accidents had been made public record by now, but the simplest way to explain it to other people who just met him was to say “freak accident.” It made less sense, but it was easier than violating his ethics.::
::It was a lot of information for Alex to process, but he was grateful for it. Since being named as the Gorkon’s First Officer, Alex had not had a chance to review the personnel files of the crew, so Chythar’s decision to open up revealed a great deal for Alex. Unfortunately for Alex the darker side of his mind decided to creep up again.::
Blair: That’s a great deal to go through, and I’m sorry. ::pause:: But maybe what happened to you is an example of why we shouldn’t be out here at all. Maybe it’s just too dangerous?
::As soon as he stopped talking, Alex knew what he had said was wrong, that he had allowed his insecurities to come out again. Alex knew that what he was saying wasn’t what he truly felt and that he needed to find a way to snap himself back to normal.::
Skyfire: Danger and risk are why we’re out here. We’ve survived murder plots by the Maquis Reborn, we’ve survived a virus that kills both Romulan and Cardassians, and we will survive this infernal hell called NGC 201502.
::He was, of course, referring to the nebula they were investigating which contained the quantum fissure. CD hoped Alex at least remembered that was where they were being sent before they had their little...accident.::
::Alex sank back in his chair to process everything Chythar said to him. The more he thought, the more he appreciated everything that his fellow officer said. As he continued to process everything, an idea popped into Alex’s mind.::
Blair: You know everything you have said is right, and I want to thank you for pointing it all out to me.
Skyfire: Any time. ::Thoughtfully pausing, he shifted the subject.:: What else is bothering you, mate?
::Alex smiled a truly genuine smile.::
Blair: I’m glad you asked! You’ve done such a great job of helping me out that I’ve got to ask another favor. I want you to help watch out for the crew’s morale. Maybe be a de facto morale officer?
Skyfire: De-facto morale officer, eh? You’re asking me to do stand up comedy?
::Alex knew that considering the Gorkon’s current state adding additional duties to anyone’s already busy workload would be a stress point, but he felt that Skyfire could handle it.::
Blair: It would mean daily check-ins with me and working closely with the crew, but if you are up to the task I don’t think I could find a better fit for the role.
Skyfire: I’ll see what I can do, mate.
::Alex smiled again, and then took a moment to mentally reflect how nice it was to smile again, no matter how brief it was.::
Blair: Commander, when this is all over and we get home I owe you one.
Skyfire: Better believe it, Alex. I will be collecting when we get home.
===
Commander Alex Blair
First Officer
USS Gorkon
T238906AB0
&
Lieutenant Commander Chythar Skyfire
Mission Specialist
USS Gorkon, NCC-82293
History Team Co-Facilitator
Medical Duty Post Facilitator
Dear Doc Columnist
Podcast Script Writer
O239002CS0
http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php/Chythar_Skyfire